Salvaging equipment



April 23, 1929. NELSQN 1,710,103

SALVAGING EQUI PMENT Filed Sept.4, 1928 2 SheetsShee 1 g L r H 1 L0 5 29 04L lio ndolinilliohl Huwl 0 Q Ia E J Inventor PIEL5 HELON By/ZZ/MZ aw Attorney 7 April 23, 1929. v N N LSON 1,710,103

SALVAGING EQUIPMENT Filed Sep JL, 1928 ZSheets-Sheet 2 HE LS NELSON Allor n'ey Invenlor I I ll) Patented Apr. 23; 1929.

UNITED STATES,

thema- NEILS NELSON, OF SPOKANE, WASHINGTON.

SALVAGING Application filed September lvlv present invention relates to an im proved salvaging equipn'ient for use 111 raising); sunken or submerged ships or vessels to the water surface. In carrying out the salvagzin operations for a sunken ship, utter the hi or has been properly located, I utilize a. pair of salvaging or rescue ships ot. suitable (looting capacity, one located at each side of and parallel with the sunken and from the surface vessels lifting hooksand cables are lowered. A diving bell o miationsyand by proper signals from the diving bell to the deck oi? the salvaging ships the lifting hooks are manipulated from the decks of the ships, and caused to he engaged with the walls about holes, as porl'holes in the hull of the sunluin ship, or with other objects on the ship that will support the hooks. in order that the sunken ship may be raised to the surface. A pluralitv oi the or lifting hooks are used along each side of the sunken ship, said hooks being lowered one after another and secured to the hull or other part of the ship, and a supporting. table is temporarilv employed torthe lifting book as it is being attached to the sunken ship. The

manipulati g, adjusting, and control of the operating parts of the hooks are all under control of men on the salvaging ships who a e directed bysignals from theman in the diving; bell. I

:The invention consists in certain novel combinations andarrangements of parts of the lifting hook whereby it is attached to the supporting part of the ship to'be lifted, and in other-combinations and arrangements of parts cooperating with the hook or hooks as will hereinafter be more fully pointed out and claimed; 3

' In the accompanying drawings I have illustrated one complete example of the physical embodiment of my invention wherein the parts are combined and'arranged according; to the best mode I have thus far devised for the practical application of the principles of .i'ny invention.

Figure l is a view looking: toward the,

bows of the two salvaging ships and the sunken ship, with the lifting: hooks attache to the starboard slde of the sunken ship and showing the lifting hooks being attached at p the port side of the ship, the lifting cable's being suspended from an overhead beam or girder coupling the two salvaging ships, and

EQUIPMENT.

l, 1928. Serial No. 303,870.

the diving: bell. as Well as the hook supporting' table are also illush'ated.

Figure 2 is a view as at line 22 of Figure 1. Figure 3 is an enlarged perspective view of one of the lifting hooks. I

F igure l is a side view partly broken away s-zho ving the manner of laterally moving a lii' hook through a port hole to secure e hung); engagement with the upper wvall or edge of the port hole. is utilized in connection with the salvaging Figure 5 is a view similar to Figure l but with the hook in engaged and lifting position. and shmving; the supporting table being liftedto the deck of one of the salvaging ships.

I Figure 6 a top plan view oltho hook holder used While the hook is being moved into operative position.

In order that the general assembly, or raugement of the ships, and utility of various parts of the equipment may readily be understood I have shown in Figure 1 the sunken ship S assumed to be resting on the bottom of the river, harbor. sea, or ocean and the two salvaging vessels A and B are in position for supporting the hoisting, mech- .llllSlll bymeans of which the various submarine devices are lowered and raised as well .as for supporting the hoisting machines for the sunken ship. The two salvaging ships are tied together by a suitable number of transversely arranged, spaced beams 01 girders or trusses '1 that span the space between the salvage shipsand above the sunken ship and these trusses are pivotally connected, at P with frames F of the salvaging ships in such manner as to permit relative movement of the two salvaging ships on the water surface, it being understood of course that the two salvaginn" ships are anchored in suitable manner to prevent their displacement from opera-- and provided with proper telephonie connections, signal apparatus. and other neces sary equipment for communicating with the men on the deck of the salvaging ships, lowered from the deck of the suspending ship in position for use ad jareut the sunken ship. A

When available. the port holes H, or the wells surrounding the port holes, are used for attachingor connecting the lifting hooks indicated as at Whole by the numeral 1, or

ill)

these hooks may, he applied to other parts on the-hull or to other parts of the ship for lifting the latter, the hooks course being located the sunken ship to hold her on an even keel as itisbcing lifted to the surface vo'l watcii r The lifting hooks are suspended I: bles 2 lily links 2 and these cables 1 guide pulleys 3 on theoverhcad 'ussel, and thence to the he mechanism, iiidicated ass, positioned oil the decks otthe two salva n sh ps. The hooks are of sim- 'ilar COllSi ion end a description G'EQllt} will sufiicefor all of them,

A single horn as 5 forms thehook mentfor engagement with the wail porthole, and'this horn i fashioned with .a; c findrical bushii vided w t 111 6 that 15' ith ,a lover t p cciing troin the bushing at theside opposite to the horn.

At the opposite t ends provided clutch teeth 8 and 9 torinediii annular series and forming, parts'roft I clutches for alternate use in connec with the hook. The bushing sur inds ant is sup ortec onia clutch her 10 havhw'serew i a I e U threads at These linkshave clutch is th and for co actiori w th the respective teeth Sand 9 on the bushing, and'the li'nksare slidahly supported on theopposite ends of ajswivelu bar located parallel with'and above the clutch ear. The bushing,when disengaged from 'bethfclutch links, is free to rock on bar 10, but hasnoilongitudinal movement. Keys 17 and 1S co-act with the liuksand'the swivel liar to" prevent relative turning of these members and permit lateral moveinentof the links relative to the swivel :bar so thatthe. clutch members of the'linksinay,

V selectively, he inoved toward the bushing" the clutch bar and these drums perform the f -is or" traveling" nutsthat-ereinovable feces of the respecti e j functi betweenthe outer links and stop p11 23 pass,

:d transverselp through the oppositeiends or" the clutch The drums are turned hy power through t-hBIEIlQCllUDl of a pull oiia clutch cable, as

] 2d, wound upon each'ot the drunagand the pull is applied bv suitable windin'gniech emsnl on thedeck of the salvage'ship By at proper points along. both sides of i herbushing are;

"the table -as lnCllCLtCl in Figure at, so that its opposit'eeiids, and two clutch links 11 fund '12 suspend the: clutch l)l1.'

turning oneoi" the drumson the threaded clutch bar the drum 1S moved into Irict-ional. Contact with a link, and by a continued turn of the drum "the link is pushed to bring,- 'its clutch, teeth in engagement with the. com- -pleiucntary teeth on the clutch bushing, and the dru n and link are thus frictionally enwfgaged to loekthe clutch members.

Before being lowered tothe proximity of thesunkcn ship, the hook device applied to a supporting table 29 l'ron1 which the hook is supported while beingad ustcd.- For this purpose the two links of the hook are lash- -ioned with brackets 25 that co-act with a .hook holder comprising awoke having sockets27 for the brackets and a screw bar '27 ri id witlrthe holderoke is lon itudib n 1 q a nally shdaole through a bearingsleeve 22: that is fixed to the top of thetable 29 i This table has adjustable, telescopic le s 30' that may be adjusted tocomisensate tor irregularities in toe surface that supports the to of the table ma' be amroxiinatelv i .l l v leveloc, and the hook, with its holder is adaptedto be moved laterally or" the table along the longi udinal axis of the bearing sleeveQS The table is lowered by means of a cable '31, and suitable loweringmechanism on the deck of the salvaging-ship, and the screw bar :27" is provided with a non-traveling, rotary nut or drum 32 that isrotat-ably anchored to a hearing member 33 rigid with the bracket 34 secured to thetable.

iswound upon the'drum, and by pulling "either end, from suitable niechanism' supported onthe deck of a salvaging ship, the

A cable cable causes thedruin tot-urn on'the-e screw bar of the holder moving said screw "bar to thewright or leftin Figurew l. Thus the holder maybe shifted to the left 'as indicated in Figure 4 to move thehook or its born 5 to the lifting position of Figure 5, and when 'theilifting pull isappliedto cable '2, the

hook is lifted to operativeposition inFig. 5.

l Before the cable 2 is'inade-taut howevenend after the-holder has'been projected to bring :the'hornto proper positio ithi i theporthole, the horn is turiied to hooking" position, i. e.- turned from position of Figure ii-to that'ofllligure 5, 'after which the; horn ,is locked by the clutchmefixbere as described. For turning the horn to'hooking position of a Figure: 51 employ a 'cable;36, and apulling device on the deck of the salvaging 1 ship. The cable' is passedfunder a guide pulley '37 on one side of thetable andconnected-to the lever 7 of thebiwhingfand as'theiguide pulley is below the lever, a pull on the cable 'or cord depresses thezlever and elevates the horn as in Figure 5; I 'Atter the hook has been properly placed and its cableQ is'secured, theholder is withdrawn "from thevbracketsi25, and then the table 29 is lifted: by'usingthe hoisting cable 3.1, as indicated in Figure 5, after which the table and another hook are lowered and the succeeding hooks are placed in position, the table being alternately lmvered an d elevated and the holder being OPCl'iliCLl tor the placement of the hooks, s s

Atlter all of the hooks have heenplaeed at the opposite sides oi? the sunk-en ship, the hoisting nierhanism: tor the various Cables 2 are operated and the hooks form a. cradle for lifting the ship on an even keel. ll hen the ship has reaehed the surface and is floated, the numerous hooks are disengaged from the portholes and gathered on shipboard for future use. i i

Having thus fully described my invention, what I claim as new and desire to secure hy Letters Patent is 1. A salvaging equipment for use with a sunken ship and a pair of salva ing ships comprising transversely arranged trusses having pivotal connection with the salvaging ships and spanning the s race over the sunken ship, hoisting eahles suspended from said trusses and hooks at the ends of said Cables, means for holding the hooks and means for moving said holding means to bring the hooks to operative relation tolhe sunken ship. i

2. A salvaging hook for use as described comprising; a clutch bar, a horn having a non-slidable bushing pivoted on the har,a

i swivel har.

swivel bar and e'lutoh links onthe swivel ha r for supporting the clutch bar, and means for seleetively moving said links to lock clutches for rigidly holding the bushing and 3. The combination with a swivel bar and a pair of laterally movable eluteh links, of a clutch har suspended in the links, a pivotal, non-slidable clutch hushin between the links and provided with a nook-horn, and means for moving said links to clutch engagement with the bushing.

il. The combination with a svxivelhar and a pair of laterally, movable clutch links slidahle on the bar, of a clutch bar suspended in the links and pro *ided with screwthreaded ends, a pivoted clutch bushing on the eluteh bar between the links, a hook horn on the bushing, and a pair of rotary drums on the threaded ends and operating means therefor for moving the links into clutch engagement with the bushing.

5. T he combination with a salmging hook and its suspending cable, hraekets on the hook and asupporting yoke for engagement with the brackets, of a screw har rigid with the yoke, a support and a hearing sleeve thereon for the serew bar, a non-traveling nut on the screw bar, and ineanseonneeted with the table for anchoring the nut.

In testimony whereof I ai'lix my signature.

NELS NELSON.

the 

